Perfect Pumpkin Pancakes

I've been on a quest for a few years now for the perfect pumpkin pancakes. It's silly that a pumpkin pancake could be so elusive, but usually my pancakes turn out mushy rather than fluffy, which to me is just devastating. This devastation is usually compounded by the fact that I'm eating brunch after a long ride (at 3pm) so I'm already exhausted and my disappointments seem to be magnified.

Finally, this weekend, I learned what I was doing wrong... I was trying to add gluten to the pancakes. Silly me! These oat-based pumpkin pancakes are just perfect, especially served with walnuts or maybe some spiced lentils to balance out the carbohydrate to protein ratio. The body recovers best when a 2.5:1 ratio of carbohydrate to protein is consumed within an hour after your workout.

Pumpkin Oat Pancakes

2c oat flour (as usual, prepared by food processing gluten free oats)
2T cornstarch
1t baking soda
1t baking powder
3T brown sugar
pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon to taste
2T ground flaxseed(soaked in 6T water)
2c vanilla almond or soy milk
1/2 can pumpkin puree
1/2t vanilla extract

1. Grease (with spray or vegetable oil) and preheat griddle.
2. Pre-mix 2T flaxseed and 5T water and let sit (this is your egg replacer)
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, brown sugar, and spices.
4. Add remaining wet ingredients, including the flaxseed mixture.
5. When water droplets flung at the griddle sizzle, your griddle is hot enough. Drop 1/3c batter on the griddle. Flip when the top is covered in bubbles.
6. Cook the other side 2-3 minutes. Check that your first pancake is cooked through (by cutting it in half) to get a feel for the timing. Enjoy with real maple syrup!